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Tuesday, 26 May 2015

189) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s Exile to St. Helena: (Part II): Coins commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: 1) A 5 GBP Coin issued by the Royal Mint U.K.: 2) A “Drie Landen Zilverset” (or the “Three Lands Silver set” (of three coins) issued by the Royal Dutch Mint – which includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK:

189)
Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s Exile to St. Helena: (Part
II):

Coins
commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo:

1)
A 5 GBP Coin issued by the Royal Mint U.K.:

2)
A “Drie Landen Zilverset” (or the
“Three Lands Silver set” (of three coins) issued by the Royal Dutch Mint –
which includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK:3) Commemorative stamps issued by Isle of Man:

After seizing power in
France in 1799, Napoleon got
himself crowned Emperor in 1804. An ambitious, skilled and shrewd military
strategist, he had ambitions to expand his rule over the whole of Europe. In
furtherance of his ambition, he waged war against various coalitions of
European nations and succeeded in expanding his Empire.

Napoleon created new kingdoms and enthroned members
of his immediate family on some of Europe’s most established and oldest
thrones and for some time it looked like his ambitious plan was succeeding.

In
1812, he led a disastrous French Army invasion to conquer Russia which
failed miserably in the harsh Russian winter and Napoleon was compelled to
abdicate the French throne in 1814 and was exiled to the island of Elba.

He managed to establish
contact with his loyal supporters through communications sent clandestinely
through visitors who called on him in exile and managed to escape from Elba.

In February 1815, after less than a year in exile, he sailed
to France incognito, where his supporters had organised a grand reception and
he was welcomed back by cheering multitudes. This “show” was more in the nature of convincing the common citizenry
of France about how popular he was among the masses,so that his return to France would be accepted without any opposition.

King Louis XVIII, the
Bourbon King whose family had been toppled in 1791 after the French
Revolution and who had occupied the French throne when Napoleon had abdicated
it, fled Paris and Napoleon began what was later called his“Hundred Day’s campaign”.

Wary of Napoleon’s
ambitious plans, a coalition of Allies
– Austrians, British, Prussians and
Russians – was cobbled up against Napoleon who they feared was raising
a new army of French troops with a view to attack
the Allies before they could launch any attack on him so as to dislodge him
from the French throne and once again make him abdicate his position as Emperor.

Both the French troops and
the Allies now knew that the stage was
set for decisive battles for the future face of Europe.

The
Allied Movement to halt Napoleon’s ambitious plans:

Two large forces under Duke
of Wellington (Anglo-Allied army) and Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher (Prussian
army) assembled close to the North-Eastern border of France. Napoleon’s best bet was to attack them in
the hope of defeating them decisively, before they were joined by the other
coalition allies in a co-ordinated invasion of France.

In June 1815,
Napoleon’s troops invaded Belgium, with a view to capture Brussels. It was in
Belgium that the British and Prussian troops were amassing to build up an
attack on France and it was here that Napoleon planned to inflict a decisive
defeat on the Allies, to further his ambition to impose/expand his rule over
the whole of Europe.

On 16.06.1815, Napoleon
sent two forces, one to fight Wellington, entrenched across the Brussels road
on the Mont-Saint-Jean escarpment at "Quatre-Bras" and the other personally led by him against
Blucher. Napoleon’s Army defeated the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny.

However, when the French
troops engaged the British Army, Wellington’s men fought well and defended
their positions, withstanding repeated attacks by the French.

In the evening, on learning
that the Prussians had regrouped, Wellington, decided to engage the French in a
decisive battle, knowing that the Prussians were now in a position to come to
his aid.

The
Battle of Waterloo:

On 18.06.1815, the
Battle of Waterloo was fought near Waterloo situated in present day Belgium,
(then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at the time of the Battle).
The battlefield is presently located in Belgium, about 15 km (9.3 miles) South
of Brussels, and about 2 km (1.2 km) from the town of Waterloo.

It
was here that, a French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by the
armies of the Seventh Coalition, consisting of an Anglo-Allied army under the
command of the Duke of Wellington combined with a Prussian army under the
command of Gebhard von Blucher. Tenacious, hard fought battles in close combat ensued resulting in the
Allied victory, which ultimately brought Napoleon’s ambitions in Europe to an
end.

Arthur Wellesley, the Duke
of Wellington, was a well-respected military and political figure. He had
gained recognition in previous battles such as the Peninsular campaign.

At Waterloo, Wellington
commanded an inexperienced Army, unlike his veteran Peninsular Army. He
utilised strategy and the geographical layout of the land to his advantage to
overcome the enemy.

Gebhardt
Leberecht Von Blucher:

He was the Commander of
the Prussian Army. A tenacious and skilful military commander, he was 70 years
of age when he went into battle against the French forces under Napoleon whom
he had fought twice before.

He was the ultimate role model
for confidence and tenacity, and was well-known for keeping his troops
motivated and their morale high throughout the battle.

His ferocity was
well-paired with Wellington’s strategic approach and their combined efforts
resulted in the historic victory in the Battle of Waterloo.

The French Commanders:

Napoleon
Bonaparte:

Born to a noble family,
Napoleon was well educated and graduated from a Military School. He was quickly
promoted through the ranks to becoming a Commander of the French army in Italy
in 1796. In 1802, he became a “Consul for Life” and in 1804, he became the
Emperor of France.

Napoleon made a great
impact on the politics of France. Nevertheless, he had a vision of creating a European
Empire, a quest which clouded his judgment, resulting in the loss of several of
his fine troops and ultimately leading to his second exile and imprisonment
after the Battle of Waterloo.

Marshal
Michel Ney:

He was Napoleon’s most
trusted Commander. Marshal Ney was born at Saarlouis as such he could speak
both German and French.

Ney’s relationship with
Napoleon was strangely formed.

Ney had vowed to capture
Napoleon on his return/escape from exile in Alba in an “iron cage” but a
persuasive Napoleon convinced him to join forces with him.

The
relationship proved detrimental to both men as Marshal Ney’s ill-timed attack
on Allied troops on Napoleon’s orders, at “Quatre-Bras” on 16th June
was a fundamental part of Napoleon’s downfall.

Marshal Ney was executed
by the French troops following the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.

His final words to his men
were as courageous as when he had led his troops into battle.

He was quoted as saying “Soldiers,
when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order.
It will be my last to you. I protest
against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not
one against her…. Soldiers Fire!!”

This chart depicts the
fortunes of the Allied and French Armies from the start of the engagement of
the French Forces on 16th June 1815 at “Ligny” with the Prussian
troops and “Quatre-Bras” with the British & allied troops, culminating in
the defeat of the French forces in the epic & final engagements at Waterloo
on 18th June 1815.

Action
at the Battle of Waterloo:

The
Strategy:

Before the Battle,
Wellington stayed at a Waterloo inn, while Napoleon was encamped three miles
south. Both armies slept out the night,
even as rain fell all night long.

Wellington was banking upon
the arrival of General Blucher at the head of the Prussian troops who were regrouping
in Wavre some 18 miles East of Waterloo to bolster the strength of his army,
while Napoleon knew that both the British and the Prussian armies were
stationed at a fair distance from each other.

Napoleon planned to defeat
the Allied Armies under Wellington first and then move on to Brussels, because
he knew that the Prussians were still recovering from the earlier day’s battle
with the French forces.

Napoleon
once famously said about battle plans: “A battle plan is only good till the
first shot is fired”. (In other words, a successful Commander
has to constantly innovate and revise his battle plans to stay ahead in the
battle-field).

The
Battles with the Anglo-Allied forces:

On 18.06.1815,
68000 Allied troops (approx.) were ranged against some 72000 French troops. Not
only this, the presence of Napoleon on the battle-field always raised the
morale of his troops.

Wellington
had remarked about Napoleon – “His presence on the field made the difference of
forty thousand men”. On
the other hand, Napoleon had this opinion of Wellington – “He is a bad General
and the English are breakfast”.

Wellington
knowing that his forces were outnumbered, positioned
his menbehind a ridge and 3
garrisoned farms. The Farm of Papelotte was on his left, Le Haye Sainte in front and Hougoumont to his right. The combination of the incline, fields of
high corn and well-placed garrisons meant that Wellington had both a good
vantage point and cover to shield his troops. From here, he planned to hold his
own till the arrival of the Prussian troops, which would give the Allies a
numerical superiority/advantage.

On the other hand,
Napoleon was finding it difficult to move his men and guns into position
because the ground was sodden with the previous night’s rain. He accordingly,
decided to delay his first major attack until the ground had dried out. There was a fatal flaw in this strategy,
as it would later allow the Prussian troops to link up with Wellington’s forces
on the ridge.Nevertheless,
to let the French infantry and cavalry wade through mud risked tiring them out
in the early stages of the battle. Therefore, Napoleon decided to draw out the British and carve out a gap in their
defensive positions. Accordingly, a diversionary
attack was mounted on Wellington’s right flank – the Hougoumont farm,
the most well-defended Allied garrison.

The French assault began
under cover of large-scale cannon fire. Soon after some 5000 French troops led
by Napoleon’s brother, advanced upon the Hougoumont farm which was defended by
some 1500 British troops holed up inside the farm, its walls turning it into a
strong fortress. Wellington’s troops fired at the advancing French troops
through the holes in the walls killing and wounding several of the attackers. However, the French attacks continued on
Hougoumont throughout the day.

At 12.30 hours, the
French broke open the gates of the farm, but the British quickly closed them
again, trapping 40 French soldiers inside who were all slaughtered, except for
an 11 year old drummer boy. Wellington later remarked “No troops but the
British could have held Hougoumont and only the best of them at that”. (Never mind the Prussians, who gallantly came
to his aid, despite their losses on the previous day???)

With Wellington’s right
flank thus engaged in the defence of Hougoumont, Napoleon sent 18000
infantrymen along the road to Brussels to strike a decisive blow. The French captured the farm of Papelotte
and the area surrounding La Haye Sainte. Next Napoleon concentrated on
capturing La Haye Sainte, because then he would be able to attack the remaining
British troops at close range.

Around 13.00 hours,
Napoleon spotted some movement in the fields to the east, (his right flank) when
looking through his telescope. He immediately despatched a cavalry detachment
to find out what was happening and to contain any Allied counter-attacks.

Napoleon
had actually spotted the Prussian troops who had marched up from their
encampments to link up with Wellington’s embattled troops.

Lord Uxbridge, Wellington’s
cavalry commander, had two brigades of cavalry positioned over the ridge. With
Napoleon’s infantry advancing towards the fortified British encampments,
Uxbridge’s cavalry charged upon the French soldiers who were taken aback at
this sudden charge and cut the French attackers to pieces. This skirmish resulted in brutally weakening Napoleon’s line, at the
same time severely mauling Wellington’s flank. Wellington’s best bet now was that the Prussians should come to his
aid, therefore he settled for interim defensive positions.

Meanwhile, Napoleon’s
cavalry reached Blucher’s troops near Plancenoit, a village situated a good
five miles East of the battlefield.

The Prussians soon
captured the high ground North-East of the village and attacked the French
hard, forcing Napoleon to commit more
troops over the course of the afternoon as the territory changed hands several
times. The French did their utmost to prevent Blucher from reaching Wellington
at the main battle theatre, nevertheless,
the French forces were spread thin fighting on two fronts and were heavily
outnumbered.

Wellington’s troops on
hearing the sound of cannonade in the distance, took heart that the Prussians
were at hand and had presented a formidable front to the French troops, and
fought the French attackers with renewed vigour.

During the battle, General
Blucher called upon his men to fight the
French hard saying “We must give air to the English army”, which the Prussian
troops did in ample measure.

Napoleon’s
lines were increasingly stretched – his men were fighting on both the west and
east sides of the battlefield, against an enemy having numerical superiority
with the Prussians joining the battle.

Napoleon ordered Marshal
Ney to capture La Haye Sainte, which was Wellington’s central stronghold. For
the next two hours, wave after wave of heavily armoured 4000 strong French
cavalry charged the Allied line.

The
ferocity of the French cavalry charge led a British soldier shout in amazement
“By God, these fellows deserve Bonaparte. They fight so nobly for him.”

In response to the French
cavalry charge, the Allied line changed
formation into squares, fending off the French cavalry, but their new
formations made them vulnerable to Napoleon’s heavy artillery fire, resulting
in heavy British casualties – one British Battalion, the 27th
Regiment, lost nearly 500 of its men i.e. two thirds of its original fighting
force.

After hours of French
attacks, La Haye Sainte finally fell into
French hands. Wellington’s prize garrison was taken by the enemy.
Napoleon’s heavy artillery was now moved to positions from where they could
attack the Allied centre with telling effect.
Wellington defended his positions from behind the ridge and fervently hoped
that the Prussian’s would come to the aid of his beleaguered troops post haste.

Napoleon knew that the
Allied centre had been weakened and that Wellington desperately needed Prussian
support. Without wasting further time, Napoleon sent 6000 French soldiers of
the famed Imperial Guard across the field towards Wellington on the ridge,
marching between Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte. On the left, they took on
withering fire from the British-held garrison of Hougoumont but the troops on
the right, facing the French–held garrison of La Haye Sainte, made it up over
the ridge without incidence.

As the French soldiers
advanced, swords drawn, Wellington’s men waited in the long grass behind the
ridge, in crouched positions. As soon as the French broke through the Allied
front line and reached the ridge, Wellington gave the order to stand and fire. The
British troops fired at the French soldiers at almost point blank range,
forcing them to fall back after taking heavy casualties. Some 300 French soldiers fell from the first volley creating a panic
among the ranks with the Imperial Guard retreating in a disorderly manner.

All
is lost for the French Army:

A ripple of panic passed
through the French lines as the astounding news spread “La Garde recule. Sauve qui peut!!” (meaning “The Guard is
retreating. Every man for himself”). The Allies pursued the retreating French,
striking them hard.

At
about the same time, Blucher’s forces linked up with the Allies from
Wellington’s left and the combined numerically superior troops of Wellington
and Blucher gave chase to the fleeing Imperial Guard. Napoleon on seeing that
pursuing the battle was now hopeless, shielded by his men fled the Field.

Wellington
had a chance to kill Napoleon, when one of his snipers had Napoleon in his
sights, but Wellington restrained him from doing so.

On the bloody battlefield
in Belgium, Blucher and Wellington had halted Napoleon’s relentless march
towards European domination.

The
aftermath of the hard fought battle:

After
the last decisive Prussian assault, the field was strewn with tens of thousands
of bodies. Many soldiers on both sides were dead, while others were badly
wounded and left to die.

One Major W.E. Frye wrote
a description of the battlefield in his work titled “After Waterloo: reminiscences of European travel 1815-1819” which
brings out the horrors of the battlefield casualties:

22nd
June: This morning I went to visit the field of battle, which is a little
beyond the village of Waterloo, on the plateau of Mont-Saint-Jean; but on
arrival there, the sight was too terrible to behold. I felt sick in the stomach
and was obliged to return. The multitude of carcasses, the heaps of wounded men
with mangled limbs unable to move, and perishing from not having their wounds
dressed or from hunger, as the Allies were of course, obliged to take their
surgeons and wagons with them, formed a spectacle I shall never forget. The
wounded both of the Allies and the French, remain in equally deplorable state”.

Interestingly, this is a field report four days after the Battle. This is the way the
Allies were treating their own wounded men who had fought gallantly for them,
leave alone the seriously wounded enemy soldiers. I wonder, if Lord Wellington
had another famous quote on how he had left his own wounded “best soldiers” to
die without food, water and medical aid, while the Generals were “celebrating
their victory”.

The
casualties and losses on both sides:

The French losses were enormous and placed at 41000 (24000 to
26000 killed, wounded or captured and 15000 missing in action).

The Anglo-Allies losses were placed at 17000 (3500 killed, 10200
wounded, with 3300 soldiers missing in action) while the Prussian losses were placed at 7000 (1200 killed, 4400
wounded and 1400 missing in action).

Memorials:

Several memorials have
come up at various sites where the Battle of waterloo was fought. Some of these
are:

The
site of the main battle of Waterloo has a large monument called the “Lion’s Mound or Hillock” built
by King William I of Netherlands.

A cluster of monuments at
the Brussels-Charleroi and Braine L’Alleud-Ohain
crossroads marks the mass graves of British, Dutch, Hanoverian and King’s
German Legion troops.

A monument to the French
dead titled “L’aigle Blessé” (meaning
“the Wounded Eagle”) was erected at a place where one of the Imperial Guard
units formed a square during the closing moments of the battle.

A monument to the Prussian
dead is located in the village of Plancenoit on the site where one of the
Prussian artillery batteries was placed.

What
the Allied victory meant for Europe:

The Battle of Waterloo has
great historical significance.

Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington
had both fought for their National interests – Napoleon to build a European
Empire and Wellington to protect that of Britain.

The
bold tactics employed by Wellington and Napoleon and the legacy that the battle
left behind an indelible impression on everyone following the course of the
Battle.

It was one of the most
decisive battles in history. It ended Napoleon’s strangle-hold on many of its
neighbouring countries and, inter alia, paved the way for Netherlands to
reclaim its Sovereignty and proclaim a new independent kingdom. It also brought
an end to Napoleon’s “100 Days campaign”.

It
brought over 25 years of conflict in Europe to an end, and enduring peace for almost
100 years.

The end of the Napoleonic
Wars also led to the Great Re-coinage of Britain.

Napoleon’s
abdication from the French throne & subsequent exile to St. Helena &
his passing away:

The pursuing coalition
forces entered France and restored King Louis XVIII to the French throne and Napoleon
had no alternative but to abdicate. He finally surrendered to Captain Maitland
of HMS Bellerophon, which was part of the Fleet blockading French Sea Movements
and exiled to St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

Napoleon was initially
interred on St. Helena, but the Orleans King Louis – Philippe had his remains
brought to France in 1840, where they were re-interred in a tomb at L’hôtel national des Invalides in Paris.

Commemorative
coins issued by the Royal Mint, UK to mark the 200th Anniversary of
the Battle of Waterloo:

Commemorative coins have
been issued by the Royal Mint UK to mark the 200th Anniversary of
the Battle of Waterloo in Gold Proof,
Silver Proof and Brilliant Uncirculated varieties. All the coins come
with an accompanying booklet giving details on the battle.

The Reverses of all the 5 Pound coins depict the handshake
between Wellington and Blucher, in a spirit of camaraderie after winning the
Battle.

On the Obverses of the 5 Pound Coins is
an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

The edge inscription of the coin reads: “THE NEAREST RUN THING
YOU EVER SAW” recalling Wellington’s own description of the Battle, still
respectful to his enemy Napoleon, even in victory.

Brilliant
Uncirculated 5 GBP Coin:I have received a Five Pound Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) coin album on 4th July 2015, thanks to the efforts of Jayant Biswas who had them routed from UK to Singapore to India, to beat archaic Import Customs laws in India & pilferages at Custom check-points. I am placing the details here:

The Meeting of Blucher
(left) and Wellington (right) after the Battle of Waterloo, is a Water-glass
painting by Daniel Maclise in 1861.

It is part of the Palace
of Westminster collection and hangs in the House of Lords today. It inspired
the Reverse designer of this coin David Lawrence to design this elegant adaptation
of this painting. The design depicts Wellington and Blucher shaking hands after
the victory at the Battle of Waterloo. Behind them lies the aftermath of the
battle, a reminder that while the Allied forces won a vital victory, the cost
was enormous.

“The Battle of Waterloo” a
painting by William Sadler is placed on the Front and back of the cover album of the 5 Pound Coin Album containing the Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) coin.
The battle is depicted as having being fought around one of the three farms which
the British Allies had fortified & garrisoned.

The
Reverse of the Five Pound Coin showing the meeting of Blucher & Wellington
after the victory at the Battle of Waterloo based on the adaptation by David Lawrence on the Water-glass painting by Daniel Maclise in 1861.

The
Obverse of the Five Pound Coin shows a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. With the
legend on the Periphery “ELIZABETH II. DG. REG. FD. FIVE POUNDS. 2015” (meaning
“Elizabeth II By the Grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith). This portrait has been designed by Ian-Rank broadley and is perhaps one of the last few portraits by him in 2015 as a new portrait of QE II designed by Jody Clark has been approved for later coinage.

2)
A “Drie Landen Zilverset” (or the
“Three Lands Silver set” (of three coins) issued by the Royal Dutch Mint – which
includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK:

The Royal Dutch Mint has
brought out a silver three coin set which includes coins of their country as
well as those of Belgium and the United Kingdom to commemorate the 200th
Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

The “Drie Landen
Zilverset” or “Three Lands Silver Coin set” includes coins from the
Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

a)The
Dutch Five Euro Silver coin:

This coincommemorates the 200th Year of Dutch Independence and the creation of the United Kingdom of the
Netherlands which also included the territory of present day Belgium
until 1830, where the town of Waterloo is located in.

On the Obverse of the Netherlands 5 Euro Silver
Coin is a stylised or abstract portrait of King Willem-Alexander facing
right. On the upper periphery is mentioned “KONING DER NEDERLANDEN” with the
year of issue “2015” inscribed on the right periphery. On the lower periphery
is inscribed “WILLEM ALEXANDER”.

On the Reverse of the Netherlands 5 Euro Silver
Coin is the distinctive Head-dress (a Bicorn hat) of the Prince of
Orange, who is known as the “Hero of Waterloo” who eventually went on to unite
the Dutch Provinces into one independent Kingdom as “Willem I” of the
Netherlands. The Bicorn hat is placed in the centre of this face with the
inscription “WATERLOO” on the left periphery and the year of issue “2015” on
the right periphery. Blow the Bicorn hat is mentioned the denomination of the
coin “5 Euro”.

On the Obverse
of the 10 Euro Silver coin is depicted a scene from the Battle of Waterloo,
within the main roles of General Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher, Duke of
wellington and the Price of Orange and their meeting on the field of battle. On
the upper left is presented a dark shadow in the likeness of Napoleon
Bonaparte, in a brilliant imagery that suggests that the forces of the Allies
were gathered to counter the dark shadow of Napoleon which was looming large
over having his control over the whole of Europe. On the upper to right side in
mentioned the Bicentenary years of the battle “1815-2015 WATERLOO”

On the Reverse of the 10 Euro Silver Coin
is mentioned the names of the country in three official languages on the left to upper periphery – “BELGIE”
(French), “BELGIQUE” (Dutch) and “BELGIEN” (German), encircling a stylized
partial globe depicting the countries which make up the European Union along
with a group of twelve stars representing the EU. The denomination of the coin
“10 EURO” and the year of issue “2015” are mentioned towards the left side of
the coin.

On the Reverse of the two Pound Crown Silver Coin
is depicted the handshake between the Duke of Wellington and General Blucher,
both men seen on horseback. In the background is a scene showing the aftermath
of the Battle of Waterloo. On the upper periphery is mentioned “THE BATTLE OF
WATERLOO” and on the lower periphery is mentioned the year of the Battle
“1815”.

On the Obverse of the two Pound Crown Silver Coin
is depicted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with the peripheral inscription
reading “ELIZABETH II.DG.REG.FD.2 POUNDS.2015”. The initials of the designer of
the Queen’s effigy Jody Clark (J.C.) can be seen below the Queen’s bust.

About Me

I am Rajeev Prasad, a retired State Bank of India officer who had been collecting coins in a shoe box without having a serious interest. Only after quitting my job I got the time to take serious interest in developing my coin collection into a hobby. A pity, because I would have had more opportunity to lay my hands on more 'exclusive coins' while in the Bank. Anyway, as they say,better late than never. If you have any views to share with me regarding this blog , please contact me on my email rajeevprasad1208@gmail.com. I also have a twitter account @prasad_rajeev.
I had an opportunity to participate in a Documentary on the life and times of the 25 paise coin titled “Chal Basi Chavanni” (The four anna/twenty five paise coin passes away), aired by STAR NEWS on 29th and 30th June 2011. The programme helped in making many persons hold back onto their “chavannis”, the little round beauties, instead of returning them to Banks .